The Invention of Lying

Take time to appreciate it, because right now we're in the midst of a strong era for screen comedy, with filmmakers pushing limits, bending genres and using comedy to advance serious ideas. The newest installment in this trend is "The Invention of Lying," in which Ricky Gervais, instead of resting on formula and on a familiar persona, uses his first opportunity as a big-screen actor-director to make an original comedy that expresses some real thinking and feeling.

"The Invention of Lying," in addition to being very funny and inventive, is an attempt at a genuine statement about life, social discourse and morality. Ultimately, Gervais may bite off more than he can chew, but this movie shows he's going for the brass ring. First time out of the box, he's heading into Woody Allen territory.

The movie takes place in an alternate-universe modern-day America in which no one has ever told a lie - in which the concept of lying is not even understood. Gervais plays Mark, a sad sack who one day stumbles upon the one talent that can unlock the universe and give him fame and wealth: He, alone among his fellow man, can lie. He can invent stories that are made into screenplays. He can go into banks and withdraw as much money as he wants. He can invent a heroic past for himself to impress women. He is alone in a world of pushovers.

Much more than "Liar, Liar" and other comedies about the hazards of telling the truth, "The Invention of Lying" forces audiences to see how much lying permeates social life. In the movie's first scene, Mark shows up for a first date with Anna (Jennifer Garner), who tells him that she has no intention of ever going to bed with him. He reacts by announcing that he's about to get fired from his job and that he's not sure that the restaurant he's chosen is any good. And on and on. The audience laughs, recognizing that the outrageous things being said could easily form the undertone of any first date.

When Mark soon develops the ability to lie, Gervais invites us to consider the kindly aspect of lying - of telling people what they want to hear. In its comic way, the movie demonstrates how lies feed the imaginations and in some cases make life bearable. At the same time, lies can be self-serving and dangerous. To see "The Invention of Lying" is to think about the degree to which lies run the world.

Photo: Sam Urdank, AP

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In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros., Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey, right, are shown in a scene from, "The Invention of Lying." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Sam Urdank)

In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros., Rob Lowe, and Tina Fey, right, are shown in a scene from, "The Invention of Lying." (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Sam Urdank)

Photo: Sam Urdank, AP

Review: 'The Invention of Lying'

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Just that would have been enough to form the intellectual backdrop for a serious-minded comedy. But Gervais and co-writer and director Matthew Robinson are also interested in religion. Gervais, who has talked about his atheism in his other work as a comedian, sees religion as a kind of ultimate lie, one that has been used for good and ill.

This is an enormous subject, one obviously close to Gervais' heart, but one that proves a little unwieldy. One consequence of the filmmakers' ambition is that "The Invention of Lying" never completely arrives and ends up promising more than it delivers.

But it delivers enough. Onscreen, Gervais has something Jackie Gleason had: His eyes are rarely involved in the comedy. His eyes are fixed rather on the serious intention or emotion underlying the comedy. This weighty mental quality allows him to segue seamlessly from comic high jinks to drama. For example, he has a tearful breakdown in "The Invention of Lying" that eschews any sense of laugh-clown-laugh self-indulgence. It plays simply like the organic unfolding of the character.

Jennifer Garner has never been better onscreen. Usually consigned to roles in which she's either blandly nice or some ridiculous superhero, Garner gets to show a comic facility we haven't seen before. She is both poignant and absurd, trying to keep up with a man whose lies give him an aura of brilliance and originality. The cast is rounded out nicely with some good comic actors in smaller roles (Louis C.K., Jonah Hill, Tina Fey) and cameos (Christopher Guest, Edward Norton). Together they give the sense of a community coming out to launch Gervais on his new venture.